to the back of the peloton. Accordingly, this requires good communication between riders, not only to move seamlessly through the peloton, but also from those in front to identify upcoming hazards to those behind who are riding with poor visibility ahead. This was a good practise of the Army values of discipline and respect for others, with many potholes lying in wait as if acting as the ‘enemy’ on an advance to contact training serial.
Moreover, the Orangery at Bridwell Park provided us with a constant supply of coffee and cake and two BBQs at HQ saw ALS Officers well-fed and ready for each day’s ride.
We were also joined by AGC Colonel Commandant, Lieutenant General Ivan Jones CB who fortunately managed to keep up with the now 3-day seasoned ALS riders, despite this being his first outing on a bike... That evening, Lieutenant General Jones also joined us to experience the excellent hospitality of Lord Mountbatten and James for an evening of good conversation, dinner and local cheese at Bridwell Park.
Lesson 4: Keep concentrating and carry on As the week came to a close, there were a few tired legs about and the concentration required when road cycling had started to become testing, the importance of which was exemplified by Major Max Fox-Leonard when he veered directly into a brick wall. Major Fox-Leonard still isn’t sure of the reason why this happened, however, it has been collectively decided this is because he wasn’t wearing his head-torch; a key piece of equipment quite sensibly included on the kit-list for daytime road cycling in the middle of summer.
Members of the ALS team finishing a second day of cycling.
A final key skill practised by all and preferred by Captain Sarah Gerrard was “tractor-evasion” in that she “enjoyed squeezing into hedgerows to allow tractors to pass #devonlife”. There are indeed more than a few ALS Officer- shaped holes in and around the Devon hedgerows.
Lesson 3: Nutrition is key, principally coffee and cake
During Ex VJ22 half the group were staying at Bridwell Park, kindly hosted by Lord Ivar Mountbatten and his husband, James Coyle. We thanked them for their hospitality by putting them through their paces on one of the days, making James an honorary ALS Officer adorned in the team jersey.
Members of the ALS team in ALS cycling jerseys, with the ALS cap badge.
Ex VJ22 was best summed up by Major Lucy Davies as “fantastic cycling through beautiful countryside and with excellent chat from my fellow cyclists”. Another account described the level of cycling during Ex VJ22 as “extreme”, at least that’s what Lieutenant Colonel Chris Adair’s doctor described it as according to the comments on his post- Ex medical notes.
The ALS team outside Bridwell Park, with host James Coyle. 96 AGC JOURNAL 2022
It’s probably fair to say that Devon hasn’t quite earned the description of ‘extreme’, however, as Ex VELO JUSTICE 23 is currently in the planning to take place in the United States of America, the lessons learnt in Devon will be invaluable when we team-up with the US Army JAG Corps in 2023.
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